Stars in our Shadows

by ReadDEMOh-17

The villains grow desperate

Silver comets soared. They shimmered and glittered in the light of millions of stars, coursing round an unbelievably hot and dense celestial object. Seventy thousand of them, in perfect, highly improbable harmony. Were they to stay on their orbits, they would soon find themselves on a collision course. Luckily, their journey would never end, as they were kept closely tied on a stable time loop.

A gigantic eye of mass too hot to cling to any color blinked. Comets soared away, all but forgetting about their gravitational bounds. Had there been a face to grimace, it would, unsatisfied with the results. A long, spindly finger of abyssal ice helium reapplied the comets, spicing them up with a bit of sodium, so they would burn golden. After a look in the Mirror of Worlds, the creature emitted some cold and heavily radioactive compounds in satisfaction. They would allow it.

What do you think? asked We Are Not Ready, turning to her fellow Master.

A tall, pale creature with a body and voice of alcohols was busy styling its infinite space of a mane. Glimmering, she turned several of her eyes to the side. Even if just for a millionth part of a millisecond, the universe stopped, unsure if it should feel honored or threatened.
Stylish, if somewhat too minimalist for my taste. You look good in gold. There is no inception quite as hot as yours.

You look just as good with dark blue, dear! I would, however, get rid of some of those. Too much of everything, really.

We Are Her Slaves took a quick glance in the Mirror of Worlds. She flinched, noticing the overabundance of her marbles, and ripped them away, leaving only the necessary minimum.
Azali, help me out with these, would you? she said towards a little snapdragon chaos creature, buzzing around to her left. We Are Her Slaves casually tossed her her marbles.

Azali looked up, beholding the very last sight in her ephemeral life. An unrelenting flood of cosmic matter, stars and planets, black holes, entire galaxies, all of that she extended her arms towards... Crashed under the impossible mass of things, all life, space and time she could ever hope to hold and much, much more. A bit of magic flashed in the void and spun down the Blind Eye.

We Are Her Slaves buried two of her limbs in her long, dark mane and ripped a wormhole of a smile. Then she struck something she considered to be a sexy pose in front of the Mirror. The narrator of this story wish they could erase this view from their memory.

You look more stunning than a quasar, darling. I don't need my Eyes to see you are really looking forward to this event.

The next smile We Are Her Slaves produced flashed, like a star blinking one last time before dying in a black hole.
What can I say? I love this little gathering of ours! I love it when the time stands still and they all buzz around, talking and laughing and devouring, dancing to the universal lack of any melody!
The marble broke, releasing a nebula of magic in the neon blue color. Anger and impatience clouded the alcoholic flesh of the Master. WOULD HE JUST HURRY UP I WANNA SEE THEM

The universe shook in fear. It wouldn't be the first time the Meeting World was destroyed mid-preparations.
We Are Not Ready blinked their primary eye. They were mildly surprised how engaged their friend got.
They're just lesser beings, there is no need to get so emotional, darling. They will be here soon. We have all the time in the Multiverse.

We Are Her Slaves seemed inconsolable. She crossed her arms and flared her Blind Eye. A marble tinkled, automatically replacing the broken one in the Second Eye. Flames once again danced on We Are Her Slaves' chest.
Isn't it awfully convenient for these critters to steal from us? she pouted.

Ask We Are Ephemeral. They're the expert on the matter.

We Are Her Slaves didn't laugh at an unfunny joke. Instead, she turned her head and just stared into the void.

Silence hung in the light, young world. Stars shined, planets circled them. And in the middle of it all, two ancient creatures waited for millions of years for the edge of reality to unfold and pour in the Chaos.

---

Delicate, soothing music played in the elevator. Simple, optimistic tunes; lyrics that told of love and partying and youth. Last hits straight up from Manehattan, a selection of Synthwave, Electro Swing and some light EDM.
All things considered, it was an excellent playlist.

It did nothing to lighten the mood of its three occupants. Discord, for once, had simply too much to think about, and so, didn't try to entertain his friends with a conversation, not even a silly one.

Fluttershy was trying to come up with a tactful (unnecessarily indirect) way to communicate her feelings to him.
She loved it when he surprised her. Places he had shown and things he taught her...
It would never disappear from her memory, this feeling of awe and wonder. She was looking forward to each and every one of their little trips.

But this? This was simply too much.

Too extreme, too dangerous and too... official of all things. The thing she loved most about Discord was how he could always make her feel so brave and free. Their journeys were always so casual, low commitment and low risk. She could run wild with all of her long suppressed desires, be free and beautiful, knowing that he was always there for her and as long as he wasn't scared, she had nothing to be scared of.

But now Discord was scared. Scared out of his mind. She knew that he only had kept so calm this long so that he wouldn't cause his friends to panic. Of course, he failed in that endeavor and they panicked anyway, but she appreciated the effort.

It didn't make her feel any less overwhelmed by the situation. She felt like.. like she was forced to go with him on a particularly unpleasant business trip. It wasn't his fault of course, she knew that. Yet at the end of her head she still felt some bleak regret... A nagging question - when have my life took such a turn? When have I become okay with all that?

"Sooo..." Twilight finally decided to break the silence. "Thank you for letting me go with you two, Discord..."

Discord shrugged, expressionless. "It's your moon now. I couldn't really stop you even if I wanted to"

"Oh, right, ha ha!" A nervous laughter escaped her lips. "Yeah, I guess... I guess you're right ..."

A short pause. The music in the background kept playing.

"Sooo... How do you plan to approach Cosmos?"

A grimace. "Without unnecessary delay. Tell her what's the deal, chain her up, bring her back to Equus."

"Oh, yes, that sounds... reasonable."

"Thank you."

The tension was getting unbearable for Fluttershy.

"It... It has been a long time since we started off on our journey" She finally dared to speak up.

"Well, the Moon is an awful far away, dear. It's only logical that getting there must take us some... "

DING!

The elevator's door opened. Three friends beheld the landscape of a grey and empty rocky wasteland. Twilight and Fluttershy inhaled deeply, which the life sustaining spell allowed them to do.

"Huh." Discord leaned over through the doors and took a look at the satellite's surface. He then stepped through boldly and announced with his arms spread wide: "Well, welcome to LuLu Land gals!"

They exited the elevator. Discord snapped once and it disappeared.

"Now," he said "It is of utmost importance that you stick with me, or else she hunts us down one at a time."

"Haven't we rid her of her magic?" Twilight questioned. "How dangerous she can be without any of it?"

"She has sharp claws, strong hind legs, the tail of a scorpion, fangs of a viper and an unrelenting hatred for all of us here, though mostly Fluttershy. No offense dear."

"None taken."

"I assure you, Twily, she is more than capable of ruining our time on the Silver Globe." He planted his claw and paw on their shoulders in an act of protection. "Just stick with me, okay? Resurrections are messy and I believe I bothered Death Herself enough this week."

Fluttershy half consciously voiced a question.
"This week?"

He didn't answer and Fluttershy wasn't sure if she took this as a good sign.

"You could also cast a protective spell" Twilight suggested.

"And ruin all your chances of showing off as a resourceful ruler, Twily? It might be a potential world ending situation, dear Twilight, but I hardly see it as a reason for neglecting your public image, your highness."

No wind blew on the Moon this day. The sky was as dark as always and sprinkled with distant stars. The light of the Sun was bright and hot and the shadows were long and dark. They wandered on the edges of great craters, scurrying silver, dusty, dead expanses of dry lunar seas. Menacing green glow of strange stars wouldn't let them forget the reason of their visit in the land of dreams.

Occasionally, when he made a noise that was meant to signify a breakthrough in their search, Fluttershy looked at Serious Discord's muzzle. She had met Serious Discord before, a couple times. He was by no means Evil, but, try as she may, she couldn't enjoy his company. He lacked this charming and wacky personality of Discord that made you forgot all about... Things. Dark, tangled vines of his insides; blades of his claws, sharp enough to cut through space and time; howling, hateful winds that sculpted his hard, ancient skull.

Serious Discord was always somewhere there, deep inside. Few things, however, had ever made him come out. She feared those things, she really did.

"What are we actually looking for, Discord?" asked Twilight, lifting a rubble of rocks which only happened to look a tad bit too suspicious for her Princess' tastes.

"Marks of scratching, urination marks" he listed off, indifferently "poops."

"You're talking about her like she was an animal" Fluttershy winced. She remembered Cosmos well. She was a vile, cruel creature, but more than a natural predator, even the most intelligent one. "It's not okay to talk like that about your enemies. And you know, Discord, that I would never consider animals inferior to us, but... This way, you cultivate your hatred for her. This isn't healthy. You know she is not an animal."

"She is now. A desperate, hungry, rabid animal. I would expect nothing less than an ambush with claws and fangs out..."

An angry streak of purple and green leaped from the top of a nearby crater and sucked itself to Discord's chest, toppling him. Flashes of fangs and splashes of ruby red, glittering blood made the carnal feast adamant. The bizarre creature made loud, disturbing sounds, partially laughter and partially howl.

As red drops sprinkled Twilight and Fluttershy, they dared not look away, their eyes wide with horror.

SNAP

The creature flew rapidly high up, above and past two ponies, howling and cursing. It hung in space about two meters from the Moon's surface, flailing helplessly against tight iron chains that flashed to existence specifically to bind it.

Discord got up and dusted himself off a bit. He then snapped his digits again, and all of the tore tissues and snapped muscles, dripping with blood, grew back into his asymmetrical head. He stretched his claw down to the ground, grabbed and reapplied his broken antler.

"It would seem I was mistaken, Fluttershy" he declared. "She clearly hates me more than you."

A horrible, throaty laughter came to their ears. "Hate?!" it barked. "I would never hate you, Dissy darling! I LOVE YOU! I've always loved you! All of you, any of you!" The creature stretched her powerful muscles against the shackles. "Let me get a little closer, just let me... Let me feast on your wonderful flesh! Let me quench my thirst with your blood! Let me let me let meeeeeahahahahaaaa!!!"

Maniacal laughter drilled in Fluttershy's skull. The frown on Discord's muzzle was like a murmur of a dormant volcano - rough, powerful and signifying incoming calamity. He approached the creature.

Now that she wasn't thrashing around, Fluttershy could take a longer look at their captive. None of her pony friends ever had a chance to properly inspect her.

Roughly quadrupedal, but without any resemblance to an equine, Cosmos' general appearance placed her somewhere between feral Discord and Nightmare Moon. Dirty, purple hide and a green cobra's hood covered her body. She did have sharp claws, fangs and a long scorpion tail too. All of them seemed longer than the last time she saw the creature.

"Well, if it isn't Cosmos, self-declared Spirit of Malice herself" Discord hissed. "I'd been hoping to never see you again, you lousy parasite."

"And vice versa, you walking carcass of a Chaos Spirit" Her jaws stayed open for a longer while, and drops of green venom started to fall. "KISS ME"

Discord winced with disgust. He drew a circle with his talons and closed her in a purple, near translucent, magical bubble.

"There will be no kissing for you, Darling." he declared. "Regardless of what you have to say about it, we're all soon off to the Meeting World."

Thick, haze of fury seemed to lift up a bit and scraps of conscience began to swivel around in the edges of her eyes.

"The Meeting World?"

"Discord!" Flittershy's voice cut in. Serious Discord looked back and she flinched at his frown, but persevered. "Discord, please, stop that! I just told you that - don't cultivate your hatred!"

"Why not?! She is the cause we're all fetlocks deep in this jam! She hurt us, and all our friends, like she hasn't anyone else!"

"And is this the reason for us to act the same?"

Discord dipped his head. He couldn't take that stare.

"We are better than her." Fluttershy flew up to his muzzle, took him by the chin and made him look straight into her eyes. "You are better than her"

"Am I really, though, my dearest?" He avoided her eyes. "I am... well, I, too, am responsible for this... well, jam." He looked so ashamed again... so very mortal. "Are you not... mad at me?"

"What? No!" she hastily negated. "No, no no no, Discord, how could I be mad at you? You did your best to protect us from this truth. You lied, but only because you cared about us. Just look at yourself - you are trying your hardest to save Equestria, all our world, our reality from those monsters out there."

"Did you think I wouldn't love you anymore?" she voiced a question. "Accidents happen. Some larger than others. Some... world ending ones..."

"Well I, official ruler (or would it be co-ruler?) of the world in question, do not blame you Discord." Twilight added. "You often provoke conflicts, true, but not this one" She stepped up to him and put her hoof on his arm. "We are going to face this crisis together."

Discord smiled. He was looking much calmer already. Things were gone for now. Fluttershy was hoping that this would help the tension subside. It was a highly stressful situation for all of them. She knew that Discord needed that. Nevertheless, she needed some more comfort from him herself.

"We are still having a talk about this as soon as we get back to Equestria" she reminded him.

"Oh, absolutely, my dearest" he assured her. "It's truly ungentlemanly of me to only think of it now, but I would never deny you the right to question me!" Another smile. "You deserve nothing less than the entire truth"

"That's very mature of you, Discord!" commented Twilight.

"Why, thank you, my Princess"

"I AM THE MIGHTY" Cosmos howled. "I AM THE MOON"

"Oh, shut up, you!"

Author's Note:

I said before it would take me two weeks to publish this chapter. Well, let's make it three weeks and settle with that.
I'm very happy with this chapter and I hope you, dear reader, liked it too. We are finally getting into the story proper and it makes me feel as excited as anxious. I'll see how far I can take this.
That said, don't expect the next chapter before the end of this month. I've been really busy with irl stuff for the last two weeks and I suspect to stay this busy for the next two at least.

Also, whoopsies! Right after original publication this chapter ended up in a wrong spot. That's just my inexperience with the site's inner mechanic showing. Nomatter, I suppose. Fixed now.